


Oh My!

by zhangjunftw



Series: drama actors au [1]
Category: NINE PERCENT (Band), 偶像练习生 | Idol Producer (TV)
Genre: Falling In Love, Fluff, M/M, fu jing is mentioned, it's my tv drama series au, lin chaoze and lu dinghao are the best friends we all want and need in our lives, minimal angst, my happy birthday you zhangjing fic i guess, slow burn?, zhangjing and yanjun are acting in the same drama as the 2 male leads lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-19
Updated: 2018-09-19
Packaged: 2019-07-14 07:27:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16035773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zhangjunftw/pseuds/zhangjunftw
Summary: You Zhangjing finds himself having problems remembering that his character's love interest is supposed to be the female lead, not the actor playing the first male lead, Lin Yanjun.based on this tweet: https://twitter.com/zhangjunftw/status/1022151260332417024





	Oh My!

**Author's Note:**

> hey, it's been a while since i last posted anything. this took a few weeks but i'm so happy that i managed to finish it in time for zhangjing's birthday hahaha. i hope you like it, and if you did, feel free to leave a comment!
> 
> for the plot of the drama, please see here: https://twitter.com/zhangjunftw/status/1023607245949427712

When his boss had first informed him about the offer to act in a new drama series, You Zhangjing had jumped at the chance to take the role of the female lead's secondary love interest. The opportunity to take such lead roles did not come often, after all, especially considering the producer of the series was none other than Zhang Yixing, the mastermind behind recent hit television series, 'Mask'.

 

Unlike 'Mask', however, 'Oh My!' was a pretty cliché high school romance drama telling the story of three high school students: and where there were three, there was bound to be a love triangle. The plot centered around Wen Junhui's quest to win over Zhou Jieqiong, a prefect and the top student at PD High School. The third character making up the love triangle was the character Zhangjing is acting as: Xu Minghao, Jieqiong's childhood best friend and fellow prefect.

 

Zhangjing had quite enjoyed reading through the outline of the drama. 'Oh My!' might have been guilty of many of the usual romance drama clichés, making it a pretty predictable plot, but then again, those clichés were the very reason why so many people enjoyed watching such dramas, right?

 

As predictable as the plot might have been, Zhangjing couldn't say the same for his co-stars. Zhangjing had expected that Zhang Yixing would have approached some popular actors to be a part of his production, but he was still shocked when he attended the first meeting, because seated at the table was a familiar face, one that he had not seen in years.

 

"Lin Yanjun, is that you?"

 

The man at the table looked just as surprised to see him, staring at him with wide eyes. He had gotten thinner since Zhangjing had last seen him, his previously bleached blonde hair now a more natural shade of dark brown. "You Zhangjing?" he said finally, and Zhangjing tried not to think about just how much he had missed hearing his voice calling his name. Zhangjing nodded, and Yanjun beamed at him, showing off his trademark dimple.

 

"It's been a while," Yanjun said, shaking Zhangjing's hand. "Almost five years now?"

 

"I didn't expect to see you here," Zhangjing admitted. "I thought you were going to be acting in that new action movie that Qin Fen is acting in?"

 

"I am," Yanjun said. "We just finished filming last week, actually."

 

"Still a workaholic, I see," Zhangjing remarked as he sat down in the chair opposite Yanjun's.

 

Yanjun chuckled. "I could say the same about you, King of OSTs. I watched 'The Legend of Fuyao' after listening to your 'Ao Hong Chen', you know."

 

"Well then, I guess I managed to do my job of promoting that show," Zhangjing laughed, he couldn't help but feel a little satisfied at Yanjun's words.

 

Yanjun opened his mouth, about to say something, but then the door opened again. "Hi, sorry I'm late!" the woman said apologetically. Yanjun waved off her apology with a smile while Zhangjing could only gape at her, because it was Fu Jing, member of Rocket Girls, who was only one of the most sought after idol actresses today, after her strong performance in the drama series 'Cat Thief' - even Zhangjing's grandmother had watched every single episode of that series.

 

(The first thing Zhangjing did when he got back to the office was track down Lin Chaoze and the building was filled with screams for a good half an hour because "How could you not tell me that I was going to be acting with Lin Yanjun and Fu Jing?!"

 

"It's not like I knew either!" Chaoze, Zhangjing's manager, shrieked in reply, struggling to escape the chokehold that Zhangjing currently had him in. "Let go of me, You Zhangjing, or I will bite you -"

 

"Don't you dare - OW!")

 

Acting together with two popular, talented, good-looking actress and actor - was anyone going to notice Zhangjing's character at this rate? Zhangjing bit his lip, suppressing his sigh as copies of the script for the first few episodes were passed to them. He was going to have to work hard to make a good impression on the viewers, he decided as he started to read through the script.

 

(If Zhangjing had not been so lost in his thoughts of wanting to do well, or maybe if he hadn't been focusing all of his attention on the script, he might have noticed that a certain Lin Yanjun's gaze kept straying away from the sheaf of papers in his hand to stare at Zhangjing's face.)

 

* * *

 

("Are you going to be okay with this?" Lin Chaoze asked, glancing over at where Zhangjing was lying sprawled out on the floor next to him.

 

Zhangjing tried to think positive thoughts - it was going to be fine, he was going to be just fine, this was just a really huge opportunity for his acting career, it was just his first time getting such an important role, he would just be spending most of his days in close proximity with Lin Yanjun, who was just the guy he liked six years ago, who was still just as unfairly attractive as the day he first met him - no big deal. Nope. No big problem that he was trying to ignore here.

 

"I can do this." Zhangjing said firmly, shoving those thought out of his head.)

 

* * *

 

I cannot do this, Zhangjing thought silently. God must be testing him, because Lin Yanjun had no business looking this hot in a simple school uniform - how did any of his former classmates manage to survive all those years of being in the same school as him, Zhangjing would really like to know right now, to preserve his sanity.

 

Forget about making a good impression on his audience, about making sure the viewers would notice him - with Yanjun looking this handsome, there was no chance of that happening - Zhangjing was more concerned with whether or not he would be able to maintain his focus during shooting long enough to even remember all of his lines now.

 

"How can you be so good-looking, Lin Yanjun?" Zhangjing sighed. Yanjun paused, a small smile forming on his face as he looked down at his feet and Zhangjing wanted to laugh because was Lin Yanjun getting shy?

  
Before Zhangjing could say anything else however, the stylist was ushering him into his own dressing room to get changed into his own outfit. The school uniform he was given was definitely more comfortable than the one that he had to wear back when he was a student himself. He sighed, remembering the days of endless summer and the hot humid climate that Malaysia was famous for - at least the weather here was miles cooler than back in his hometown, so he wouldn't be sweating buckets on camera.

 

The uniform was also much better fitted for him compared to any of his actual school uniforms. Yanjun looked up at him from the sofa when he walked back into the waiting room. "This is the first time in my life that I feel that I look good in a school uniform," Zhangjing laughed.

 

"It suits you well." Yanjun remarked.

 

"I really look like a high school student," Zhangjing grinned at his reflection in the mirror. "Hello, I'm You Zhangjing, a 02-liner who is still in high school, please take good care of me!" he joked. Yanjun burst into laughter, and it was so infectious that Zhangjing couldn't help but join in.

 

* * *

 

Filming went smoother than Zhangjing had expected. Fu Jing and Yanjun were both experienced actors and slipped into their respective roles almost effortlessly. Zhangjing made a few small mistakes here and there, but Yixing still praised him for his performance for the day. 

 

"Hey," Zhangjing glanced over at the tap on his shoulder. "Do you have anywhere that you need to be right now?" Yanjun asked. When Zhangjing shook his head, Yanjun grinned. "Want to get hotpot? My treat."

 

Zhangjing knew that Chaoze was probably going to kill him for breaking his diet later, but with Yanjun smiling at him like that while making such an offer - "How could I say no to free food? But," he glanced at the clock. "Isn't it kind of late?"

 

"Don't worry, I know a place," Yanjun replied.

 

The restaurant that Yanjun brought him to was nothing fancy, it had clearly been around for awhile, and while it might have looked like it needed a new paint job, the smell that greeted them when they walked in was enough to make Zhangjing's mouth water. The restaurant wasn't very crowded, with only three out of the ten tables occupied, which wasn't very surprising, considering how late it was.

 

Yanjun pulled his mask down to smile at the elderly woman at the counter. "Hi, auntie, I hope it's not too late to get dinner."

 

The elderly woman's eyes lit up in delight at his face. "Lin Yanjun! Ah, it's been a while since my favourite delinquent came by to visit me," she chuckled. "Mimi, prepare a table for two!"

 

Zhangjing watched as Yanjun chatted easily with the auntie, doing his best not to laugh as she fussed over how much thinner he looked since the last time he came to eat at the restaurant.

 

"So, Auntie's favourite delinquent?" Zhangjing teased after they were seated at their table.

 

Yanjun laughed, scratching the back of his neck almost shyly. "I've been coming here even before making my debut as an actor, since the company is quite near here. Auntie's granddaughter really liked one of my first dramas - School Love Affair."

 

Oh, Zhangjing remembered that drama - how could he not, with how much his sister and Lin Chaoze had been screaming over Zhu Zhengting?

 

("I thought we were watching this drama because Lin Yanjun is in it?" Zhangjing raised an eyebrow at the smiling Zhu Zhengting's face on the fan that Chaoze was gripping tightly in one hand.

 

Chaoze swatted Zhangjing's hand away from his bowl of popcorn, moving it away so that Zhangjing wouldn't be able to reach it. "Get your own popcorn bowl, You Zhangjing. You are watching it because you want to see your crush from two years ago, I'm watching it because I want to see my current crush - don't judge me and just turn on the television, You Zhangjing.")

 

" - and she recognised me when she saw me come here for dinner. The next time I came, Auntie told me that she had also started watching the drama with her granddaughter, and well, since I was acting as a delinquent student in that drama, Auntie started calling me her favourite delinquent." Yanjun finished. Zhangjing laughed - he couldn't help it, that was adorable.

 

"Anyway, how have you been these past five years?" Yanjun asked. "I heard that you left Banana."

 

"Ah, yeah," Zhangjing replied, putting some meat into the boiling soup. "It's not that different from back when we were trainees, except that since I'm more of a ballad singer now, I don't have to have dance classes as often as we used to. Lin Chaoze still forces me to practice with him once in a while."

 

"Lin Chaoze?" Yanjun asked.

 

"Oh yeah, he also left Banana with me - he's my manager and occasional dance coach now." Zhangjing said. "You remember him? We should all get together one day - all nine of us."

 

Yanjun's eyes widened. "You're still keeping contact with the others?" he reached into his pocket for his phone. "Can you give me their numbers?" he asked sheepishly. "I lost my phone a few years ago, together with all of the phone numbers in my contacts list."

 

"Wow, the thing that Qiu Zhixie always warned you would happen finally happened," Zhangjing chuckled, scrolling through his phone's contacts list. "He's definitely going to be cackling when he finds out why you haven't been replying our messages for the past four years."

 

The food at the restaurant was delicious and Zhangjing found himself sufficiently distracted enough by the food and whatever Yanjun's saying to ignore the way his phone vibrated on his lap, only slipping the phone into his bag after the fifth time that Dinghao's name appeared on the screen.

 

Over the next couple of hours, Zhangjing learned 2 things: first of all, Lin Yanjun still loved terrible puns. Zhangjing almost snorted soup out of his nose when Yanjun told him one - It wasn't even a particularly funny one, but maybe it was the way that Yanjun pretended to croak like a frog that really cracked him up.

 

Secondly, Yanjun still laughed with his whole body. He only stopped long enough to pass a handful of napkins to Zhangjing, barely managing to ask if Zhangjing was okay before bursting into a fit of laughter again. Zhangjing watched the way his dimple seemed to wink at him, and the amused twinkle in Yanjun's eyes - he couldn't even find it in himself to pretend to be angry at Yanjun for causing the mess in the first place.

 

After dinner, Yanjun dropped him off at his company building - he had offered to send Zhangjing home, but Zhangjing still needed to get some of his things from Chaoze, so it was off to the company building instead.

 

Chaoze was waiting for him in one of the practice rooms - "Have fun with Lin Yanjun?" Chaoze grinned at Zhangjing as he entered the room. Zhangjing ignored the kissy face noises that Chaoze was making - he shouldn't have worried about Chaoze getting mad with him over the hotpot - no, he should have been worried about Chaoze finding out about him going out with Yanjun instead. "So, how did your date go?"

 

"It was not a date," Zhangjing grumbled, taking his phone out from his bag. "Have you all been gossiping about the both of us all night long?" he asked in disbelief at the sheer number of chat notifications. "Do you all have nothing else to do?" he wondered out loud, just as his phone vibrated in his hand, Dinghao's name flashing across Zhangjing's phone screen for what must have the hundredth time that name.

 

Zhangjing groaned loudly, accepting the call. "Lu Dinghao, what do you want from me -"

 

"ABOUT TIME YOU ANSWERED YOUR PHONE, YOU USELESS GAY!" Lu Dinghao's indignant screech echoed around the practice room. "DID YOU FINALLY GROW SOME BALLS AND ADMIT YOUR BIG FAT CRUSH ON LIN YANJUN YET?"

 

Zhangjing hung up on him and switched off his phone before tackling a still cackling Chaoze to the floor.

 

* * *

 

The next time Zhangjing got to see Yanjun again was a couple days later, for the press conference for the official announcement of 'Oh My!'. Looking out at the crowd of journalists with their microphones and cameras from behind the stage, Zhangjing couldn't help but feel a little intimidated at the sight. He's attended such press conferences before, but never as an actor in a drama with such high profile directors, and the scale of things was very clearly different from what he was used to.

 

The announcer was speaking, but Zhangjing barely paid any attention to what he was saying until he called Fu Jing's name, calling her up on stage. Fu Jing gave his shoulder a comforting pat as she passed him, giving him an encouraging smile before stepping up on to the stage.

 

Watching her as she smiled and waved at the cameras, Zhangjing jumped when his hand was squeezed. "Breathe," Yanjun murmured, and Zhangjing bites back the shiver at the feeling of his breath so close to his ear. When did he even come up behind him, and how did Zhangjing not notice him? 

 

"You're going to do just fine, You Zhangjing."

 

Zhangjing took a deep breath, squeezing his hand back just as Lin Yanjun's name was called next, introducing him as the first male lead, Wen Junhui. Yanjun squeezed his hand one last time before pulling away, and Zhangjing watched as he walked up on stage, plastering a smile on his face for the cameras. The cameras flashed and then Yanjun was walking over to stand next to Fu Jing on the side of the stage, but not before Zhangjing catches Yanjun shooting a brief glance at him.

 

" - You Zhangjing, who will be in the role of the second male lead, Xu Minghao -"

 

The cameras flashes were blinding - he has always hated this part, his mother swears that he's going to lose his eyesight before his forties at this rate. Zhangjing could barely keep his eyes open for the brief couple of minutes, and he was blinking spots out of his vision even after he has moved to stand next to Yanjun.

 

After Zhang Yixing's photo session is over, they are all ushered over to a table and the reporters start firing questions at them:

 

"Question for Lin Yanjun! You are playing the role of Wen Junhui, how do you feel about your character? Do you think you are similar to him in any way?" one of the reporters in the front asked.

 

"Ah," Yanjun cleared his throat, taking the microphone from Fu Jing. "I really like the character, he's very innocent and naïve, and he just puts his all in everything he does. Another thing that I like about Wen Junhui is that he really likes puns."

 

Another reporter raised his hand: "Question for Lin Yanjun. Could you give us an example of a pun that Wen Junhui would like? So that we can know what to expect from Junhui in 'Oh My!'."

 

Yanjun looked thoughtful for a moment, and Zhangjing takes the opportunity to brace himself for whatever lame pun that Yanjun is going to say so that he doesn't end up snorting and making a fool of himself in front of the cameras. However, when Yanjun looked up at the camera: "Hello, I'm a thief, and I'm here to steal your heart." The smile he gives the camera, that dimple winking out at him - that's the cherry on top of this lethal blow that Lin Yanjun is dealing.

 

Zhangjing does not swoon. Zhangjing does not blush. Zhangjing does not do any of these things because he is trying to breathe properly because _oh my god, Lin Yanjun_ -

 

(If Zhangjing saves half a dozen different videos and gifs of Lin Yanjun saying he is here to 'steal your heart', no one will ever find out because You Zhangjing will happily swallow his memory card and carry that secret to the grave.)

 

* * *

 

Fu Jing was a really good actress, Zhangjing thought to himself. Standing off-camera, he watched Fu Jing sneeze repeatedly, backing away from the comically huge bouquet of sunflowers that Lin Yanjun was trying to give her.

 

The director signalled at him to get into position. On her cue, he walked through the doorway just as Fu Jing ran past him, leaving Yanjun and his flower bouquet in the room with him. "...I thought all girls liked flowers?" Yanjun asked, and Zhangjing had to hold himself back from cooing at the adorably confused expression on his face.

 

"Dude, Jieqiong is allergic to flowers," Zhangjing replied, watching as realisation dawned on Yanjun's face. "Yeah, she can't be around them without going into a sneezing fit."

 

"Oh."

 

"So, what are you going to do with all these flowers now?" Zhangjing asked, admiring a particularly perfect sunflower from the bunch. When he received no reply, Zhangjing glanced up at Yanjun, who was looking at him with an unreadable look in his eyes - had he forgotten his lines, Zhangjing wondered. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that the director was probably thinking the same thing. Before she could yell out 'cut', however:

 

"...would you accept them?" Yanjun asked.

 

Zhangjing had read the script at least twenty times before coming to the filming, that was definitely not part of the script. The script also did not mention anything about the way Lin Yanjun was peering at him from behind the flowers that were hiding half of his face. Nor did it contain anything like WARNING written in huge red letters because wow, God was really testing him -

 

Yet Zhangjing still didn't hear a 'cut'. So he cleared his throat and continued: "You sure that you want to give them to me?"

 

Yanjun shrugged, passing the bouquet to him. "Why not? Sunflowers suit you." he smiled, infamous dimple appearing to mock Zhangjing - thankfully, that was when the director decided to yell 'cut', because if Zhangjing had to continue adlibbing his way through the scene, he was definitely going to end up doing something stupid like admit his sexuality on camera. If he didn't explode from embarrassment first, of course.

 

* * *

 

Zhangjing almost felt touched when Chaoze showed up at his apartment for the premiere of 'Oh My!' on national television with a bag full of his merchandise: "My best friend is acting in a lead role, of course I had to get a fan with your face printed on it," Chaoze said, proudly showing off the fan. "I even got a matching one for you, together with something that I know you will love, to congratulate you for being able to control yourself around Yanjun and not getting fired from the job on day one of filming."

 

Then Chaoze produced a signed poster of a half-naked Lin Yanjun from one of his past photoshoots for an underwear label and You Zhangjing couldn't decide whether he wanted to die or murder Lin Chaoze.

 

("This is a limited edition poster from 3 years ago, how did you even get it -"

 

"I have my ways, and this was procured through completely legal methods, don't you worry about that.")

 

"You can't murder me, who else is going to listen to you whine about your boy problems?" Chaoze grinned as Zhangjing snatched the poster from him with a groan about how he needed to get better friends - "You're friends with me, the Lin Chaoze, it doesn't get much better than that, You Zhangjing."

 

"Shut up and get the TV ready before I kick you out, Lin Chaoze," Zhangjing snapped back without any real bite, setting the poster down on the dining table before going in to get the popcorn from the kitchen.

 

"Move your butt or you're going to miss the beginning, You Zhangjing!" Chaoze yelled. "That bowl had better have enough popcorn for me as well." he said, eyes zeroing in on the bowl the moment Zhangjing walked out of the kitchen.

 

"If you don't inhale it all in the first fifteen minutes like the black hole that you are, it will be enough." Zhangjing replied, sitting down next to Chaoze on the sofa.

 

"Black hole - are you talking about yourself, You Zhangjing?" Chaoze retorted, passing him a fan. Zhangjing looked at his own face printed on the plastic fan and couldn't hold back from sniggering at the cute little stickers on his cheeks. Chaoze swatted at him with his own identical fan as the episode began.

 

Chaoze whistled lowly when Yanjun's character made his first appearance on screen. "Damn, he still looks as handsome as ever. The school uniform really looks good on him, much better than the uniform in that other drama - what was it called again? 'Adore You'?" he asked, glancing at Zhangjing, who nodded.

 

The popcorn was finished halfway through the episode, which was around the time when Zhangjing's character showed up. Chaoze shrieked, waving his fan wildly at the television. "Look at you! The editing team needs a raise for that effect, you actually look good-looking for once!"

 

"What the heck do you mean by 'for once'?!"

 

(Chaoze's fingers played with the rim of the empty bowl as the ending credits rolled on the television screen. "You appeared for what, barely ten minutes out of the total forty-five minutes," he commented. "You did really well though. And you look really good in that uniform, not gonna lie."

 

"Aww, thanks bro."

 

"Also, this brand of popcorn is terrible, we need to find another brand.")

 

* * *

 

Overall, the ratings for 'Oh My!' were pretty good for the first few episodes, even if Zhangjing had to search through the pages of comments left online for comments about his own performance.

 

("At least a third of these comments are about how cool and gorgeous Fu Jing looks - she's really gaining a lot of female fans through this drama," Zhangjing remarked. "And why are there so many comments about how handsome Lin Yanjun is?"

 

"Didn't you leave a comment about Lin Yanjun's dimple a day ago?" Dinghao asked flatly.

 

"I did no such thing -" looking at Dinghao's unimpressed face on his laptop screen, Zhangjing knew it was hopeless to argue, so he sighed. "Okay, fine, I did, but I only left one comment, there are kids leaving like ten comments dedicated to his freaking eyebrows -")

 

But then the episode with the flower bouquet scene was released.

 

Zhangjing had not even watched it yet, since he had been busy preparing for his next album, which the company was planning on releasing after the end of 'Oh My!'. Also, Lu Dinghao was overseas and he had forced Chaoze and Zhangjing to promise to wait for him to come back so that they could marathon all the episodes together.

 

With all the work that he had been doing over the weekend, he had barely any time to even memorise the script for the day's filming. Still, he thought as he glanced at yet another staff member who was pretending like they had not been staring at him for the past five minutes, surely he hadn't been that bad today? Was there something in his teeth? A quick check in the mirror told him otherwise.

 

"Is it just me, or are there a lot more people staring at me than usual?" Zhangjing asked Fu Jing, who was in the seat next to his.

 

"No, it's definitely not your imagination," Fu Jing answered, closing her eyes as the makeup artist applied eyeshadow to her face. "I noticed it too. Any ideas why? Zining?" she asked, looking up at her makeup artist.

 

"Wow, you must really have been busy if you have no idea what's going on," Zining muttered. "You might want to check the reviews for last week's episode."

 

Curious, but no less confused, Zhangjing took out his phone, bringing up the comments page for the latest episode. "What -" he gaped at his phone, not believing his eyes - that was more than double the number of comments on the previous episodes! "...What's 'Junhao'?" Zhangjing asked blankly, spotting the word appearing in quite a few comments on the page.

 

"You know what shipping is, right?" Zining raised an eyebrow at him. "Put Junhui and Minghao together, and you get..."

 

"Oh." Fu Jing didn't appear to have any sympathy for Zhangjing, throwing her head back as she laughed at his frozen state.

 

"Don't worry, it's all just in good fun," Zining said. "You two do have pretty good chemistry, in my opinion - "

 

"We only had that one scene with that oversized bouquet together, how does that even show anything?" Zhangjing protested, trying to push images of that scene out of his mind - he would rather not get scolded when it was his turn for makeup.

 

"Have you seen the way the editing team edited that clip?" Zining chuckled. "Anyway, it seems to be getting quite a lot of attention, which means more viewers, which means higher ratings for the drama, and higher ratings mean a happy Zhang PD. So whatever you're doing, just keep doing it."

 

* * *

 

The number of 'Junhao' shippers only seemed to grow with each episode, not that this fazed Yanjun at all - if anything, the whole thing seemed to only encouraged him to stare at Zhangjing more, Zhangjing commented out loud, eyeing yet another gifset of Lin Yanjun as Wen Junhui shooting almost fond glances in Zhangjing/Minghao's direction.

 

"Dude, he's always been staring at you like that, the only difference is that now, people are noticing and compiling photographic evidence of it." Chaoze said dryly. "Honestly, with how much you keep staring at him, it's a miracle that you haven't noticed it yet."

 

Zhangjing was about to snap back a retort at him, but Chaoze brought the car to a stop. "Oh, we're here already." Zhangjing said, looking out the window at the glass exterior of the tall building.

 

"If you had actually been paying attention to your surroundings instead of just staring at your phone the entire car ride, you would have noticed. Ow!" Chaoze yelped, dodging out of the way of Zhangjing's next hit. "Ok, try not to say or do something totally embarrassing on camera, otherwise Lu Dinghao will have that saved and probably print it out on A3 size paper to hang up on your living room wall." Chaoze remarked as Zhangjing got out of the car.

 

"Wow, you need to work on your motivation speech skills," Zhangjing deadpanned. "Don't get the terminal gate wrong, I'd hate to have to find a new manager if your aunt kills you."

 

"Are you sure you don't need me to walk you to the studio -"

 

"You Zhangjing!"

 

Zhangjing whirled around to see Lin Yanjun jogging over, wearing an outfit similar to something that Zhangjing had seen in a fashion magazine before - a boyfriend look was what the magazine had called it - Yanjun pulled off that light denim jacket and white shirt outfit much better than the magazine's model could ever hope to.

 

Chaoze bopped Zhangjing on the back of his head lightly. "You're gonna catch flies, You Zhangjing." Zhangjing immediately snapped his mouth shut as Yanjun greeted Chaoze.

 

"Well, since you're here, then I guess I don't need to worry about Zhangjing accidentally wandering off to the wrong studio." Chaoze said, ignoring Zhangjing's protest of how that had only happened once. "I'll be back in a couple of hours to pick you up, see you later!"

 

(Not fifteen minutes after wandering about the first floor of the building, Yanjun sheepishly admitted that he might have forgotten the layout of the building - "I've only been here once before, and that was two years ago."

 

"I was starting to suspect that that might be the case," Zhangjing laughed, leading him towards the correct hallway.) 

 

* * *

 

"So, Zhangjing, what were your first thoughts meeting your co-stars for the first time?" the host asked.

 

"Well," Zhangjing glanced at the two sitting next to him. "For Fu Jing, she is someone who I've been watching since her debut with Rocket Girls. I have met her before, but only briefly, behind stages of music shows. I was really shocked when I found out that she was acting as Zhou Jieqiong, since she is a much more experienced actress than me."

 

"As for Lin Yanjun," Zhangjing continued. "I was even more shocked to see him. I thought he was still busy with another acting project to participate in 'Oh My!'." he explained.

 

"I was also really shocked to see You Zhangjing," Yanjun piped up. "Especially since we met again under such circumstances."

 

"Oh?" the host's eyes lit up in interest. "The both of you have known each other before this?"

 

"Yeah, we were trainees at the same company for a few years," Zhangjing said.

 

"Is that so? So if the both of you had not left the company, we might have been able to see the both of you together in an idol group." the host hummed. Zhangjing nodded absently, looking over at Yanjun, who had a far-off expression on his face.

 

The interview continued, but the question kept repeating in Zhangjing's mind: what if they had both stayed at the company?

 

(When the video of the interview was released online, Lu Dinghao proposed a new drinking game: "Take a shot every time either You Zhangjing or Lin Yanjun look at each other with heart eyes."

 

Chaoze gave up five minutes into the video.

 

Dinghao's comment became the most upvoted comment on the page.

 

Zhangjing wondered what he did in his past life to deserve friends like this.)

 

* * *

 

The next time he was meeting anyone anywhere, Zhangjing decided, he was going to set an alarm on his phone, because apparently, not all watches could be depended upon.

 

Zhangjing was swearing under his face mask as he ran down the street to his destination. To think that he was the one who was running late, when he was the one to invite Yanjun to meet him at the café. How could he have failed to notice that his watch had stopped working, Zhangjing thought to himself as he pushed the café doors open. Thank goodness Chaoze had stopped by the studio and reminded him.

 

This café was a relatively new spot, Fu Jing had recommended it to him during one of their after-filming conversations. Zhangjing took a quick glance around: the interior decoration was minimal with pastel colours and cute little flower bouquets here and there - most of the tables were empty, since it was a working day, most of the usual crowd was probably stuck in an office or still in school. Even with his back to the doors, Zhangjing easily picked Yanjun out from the few other customers in the café, sitting in one of the booths near the back of the shop.

 

"Sorry I'm late," Zhangjing said apologetically as he slid into the booth, taking the seat opposite Yanjun's. "Have you been waiting long?"

 

"I thought my butt was going to become one with this chair. What took you so long?" Yanjun teased.

 

"My watch died," Zhangjing admitted. "And I didn't notice."

 

"Unfortunate." Yanjun sighed dramatically. "Your poor watch has devoted its life to you - and you didn't even notice its passing. And you still blame it for your own tardiness. What do you have to say for yourself, You Zhangjing?"

 

"Aish -" Zhangjing reached over, pretending to hit him. Yanjun laughed, ducking out of the way. "Since you've been here for so long, you must know what you want to order already right?" Zhangjing asked, turning his attention to the menu.

 

"I was thinking of getting this, since Fu Jing recommended this, I assume it should be good. " Yanjun said, pointing to a picture of some chicken wings on the menu. "I texted her while I was waiting for you." he explained when Zhangjing asked him when he had talked with Fu Jing about this café. Zhangjing hummed in reply, looking through the menu items before finally deciding on a salad and a banana milkshake.

 

"Do you think the waiter recognised us?" Zhangjing whispered after the waiter had taken their orders.

 

Yanjun glanced at the young man who was busy punching in their orders at the counter. "Doubt it, he doesn't look particularly excited. Even if he has, I don't see him reaching for his phone or anything, so I think we're safe."

 

The food arrived fairly quickly, and Zhangjing made sure to include his bowl of salad in the selfie that he took: "As evidence that I am sticking to my diet - if Chaoze asks, the milkshake is yours and I had none of it." Zhangjing said. Yanjun nodded, trying to hide his smile with his hand as he watched Zhangjing send the photo to Chaoze.

 

Finally satisfied with the number of photos they had taken of their meal and deeming it time to start digging in, Zhangjing reached for his banana milkshake first. The milkshake had a reasonable amount of whipped cream swirl and the waiter had helpfully put in two straws into the tall glass.

 

"Oh my god," Zhangjing let out a satisfied noise after taking a sip.

 

"That good?" Yanjun asked. Zhangjing nodded enthusiastically.

 

"Want some?" Zhangjing offered. Yanjun nodded.

 

However, before Zhangjing could draw back and pass the glass over to him, Yanjun had leaned over, lips closing around the other straw. Zhangjing was well aware of how he was staring at Yanjun's lips, but at that moment he was frozen, too stunned to move or even to look away. All too soon, Yanjun drew back, and Zhangjing's mental stability was only tested further when Yanjun's tongue darted out, licking his lips.

 

"Mm," Yanjun hummed, appearing to be completely unaware of Zhangjing's impending heart attack. "That is pretty good." Yanjun said. "Come on, let's start eating."

 

They were halfway through their meal when Zhangjing received a text from Chaoze: it's a photo of Zhangjing and Yanjun in the café, a bit blurry from a shaking hand holding the camera, but it was clearly the both of them, sharing the banana milkshake.

 

Chaoze called not five seconds later, and Zhangjing picked up immediately. "I'd congratulate you for finally making a move, but this photo was posted half an hour ago and is currently trending as a hot topic right now." Chaoze said. "So you lovebirds better get out of there before fans start showing up and block the exits."

 

Zhangjing glanced at the glass front of the café - already he could see a few people trying to peer into the shop, some very much less discrete than the others. "Yeah, I can see them already," Zhangjing said, watching as Yanjun's brow furrowed, a frown replacing the easy smile that had previously been on his face.

 

"Do you need me to drive the car down to get the both of you?" Chaoze asked. Zhangjing relayed Chaoze's question to Yanjun, who shook his head.

 

"My car is parked on the street behind this shop, we can sneak out through the back entrance," Yanjun said.

 

Zhangjing nodded, telling Chaoze what Yanjun said while Yanjun discreetly called the waiter over and paid the bill. Packing up the remainder of their food, they moved to the back door, being careful not to attract attention from the people staring in through the glass.

 

"It's a good thing you picked one of the booths at the back," Zhangjing muttered as they slipped out the back door. Luckily, there weren't any fans waiting for them outside, so they made it to Yanjun's car without any problem.

 

"So, where to now?" Yanjun asked, glancing over at Zhangjing.

 

"Well," Zhangjing started, looking at the clear blue skies overhead. "It's a really nice day out - there's a park nearby. Not many people go there, we could go there and have a picnic." Zhangjing suggested, holding up their packed up leftovers.

 

"Cool," Yanjun smiled. "Let's go. Where's this park?"

 

* * *

 

The park was empty as usual, to Zhangjing's relief. No one interrupted them as they finished up their food, and it was a good thing that this park was so quiet, Zhangjing thought when Yanjun spotted a pigeon and started chasing the poor bird.

 

"Lin Yanjun, what are you doing?" Zhangjing yelled between laughs as he watched Yanjun tear across the field with the energy of a child on a sugar high. Yanjun let out a whoop in reply, nearly tumbling over in his excitement. "Honestly, how old are you?" Zhangjing laughed.

 

"Not too old to have some fun," Yanjun retorted. "Come on, You Zhangjing, too old for a little exercise? I bet you can't catch me even if you wanted to."

 

"Oh, you're on, Lin Yanjun." Zhangjing growled, giving chase.

 

If someone had stopped by the park in hopes of a quiet walk in the afternoon that day, they would have been sorely disappointed because they would have found two adults running around chasing each other on the grass, making enough noise to compete with a crowded playground.

 

However, they didn't have the same amount of boundless energy as they used to, which Yanjun admitted with a sigh as he lay down on his back. Zhangjing collapsed on the grass next to him and they looked up at the darkening sky.

 

"Wow, the sun is setting already," Yanjun muttered.

 

"Have we really been running around for that long? Wow," Zhangjing sighed. "You know what this reminds me of? Back when we were trainees, when you always used to get into trouble with the company for ordering outside food."

 

Yanjun laughed. "It has been a really long time since I ran around like that," Yanjun admitted, a far off look in his eyes as he thought back to their trainee days, of running rounds around the track field, with their friends hooting from the bleachers.

 

The feeling of Zhangjing's fingers gently brushing his hair brought him back to the present. "The track is still there, you know," Zhangjing muttered, picking a leaf out of Yanjun's hair. "Let's go visit it again some day."

 

A smile slowly spread across Yanjun's face, and Zhangjing was awarded with a view of that adorable dimple. "I'll hold you to that promise, You Zhangjing." Yanjun said.

 

"It's getting late, let's go before the mosquitoes start coming."

 

(Lin Chaoze gave him a Look when he returned to the company building that had Zhangjing squirming uncomfortably under his gaze, all too aware of the grass-stains on his clothes and how sweaty he was.

 

"Please tell me that you at least used protection."

 

"My god, Lin Chaoze - no, we did not do any of what you are thinking, you filthy pervert, get your mind out of the gutter."

 

"Damn it, now I owe Lu Dinghao money."

 

"What the hell kind of bets have you been making behind my back, Lin Chaoze?")

 

* * *

 

After the twelfth time of running through the choreography, Zhangjing had given up on keeping count of how many times he had pressed the replay button on the music player.

 

The hands on the clock showed that the time was past midnight, and You Zhangjing was lying on the floor in the middle of the practice room, taking a much needed break from dancing. It had been a long day of learning choreography for his new song, which management had decided was going to be more of a dance song rather than the more vocal-focused ballads that he had released a few months ago.

 

While Zhangjing did like the new song, he couldn't deny that the choreography was a lot more challenging compared to what he had done before. Even now, after a few hours of practice, he was still having trouble with some parts of the dance. Lin Chaoze really picked a good time to be out of town, Zhangjing thought with a sigh. At least he would be back tomorrow morning, Zhangjing could ask him for help then.

 

Just as Zhangjing sat up and reached for his phone, someone knocked on the door. "Come in," he called out, expecting to see maybe one of the trainees or the cleaner. The face that appeared, while completely unexpected, was not unwelcome.

 

"Lin Yanjun, what are you doing here?" Zhangjing exclaimed in surprise as Yanjun walked into the practice room awkwardly.

 

"You left this in my car the other day," Yanjun said, and only then did Zhangjing notice his face mask in Yanjun's hand.

 

"Oh, thanks," Zhangjing said, accepting the face mask from Yanjun and tossing it into his bag. "I had been wondering where I had left that thing. But you didn't have to come over specifically just to give this back, we have filming on Wednesday next week."

 

Yanjun shrugged, sitting down next to Zhangjing on the floor. "I was in the area," he said. "So, what are you doing?"

 

"Dance practice, wanna see?" Yanjun nodded, and Zhangjing passed the tablet to him to show him the video of the choreography. Yanjun's brow furrowed in concentration as he watched the video, not unlike the Yanjun of Zhangjing's memories from their trainee days. Zhangjing remembered the first time he had seen that expression on Yanjun's face, about how he had thought that Yanjun looked so fierce and intimidating - but now that he knew Yanjun's true character... "I can't believe that I used to think that you were such a scary character," Zhangjing murmured.

 

Yanjun gave him a confused glance. "Did you say something?"

 

Zhangjing shook his head quickly, gesturing for him to continue watching the video. Yanjun looked at him in suspicion, but still turned his focus back to the tablet in his hands.

 

"It looks really cool." Yanjun said finally as the video ended. "Might I have the pleasure of watching the real thing live?" he asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he looked at Zhangjing.

 

"I haven't learned the whole thing yet," Zhangjing protested.

 

"Then just do the parts that you've learned. Please?" he pleaded, and Zhangjing gulped because how was he supposed to say no to those puppy dog eyes?

 

"That's just unfair, Lin Yanjun," Zhangjing muttered, getting into his starting position obediently. Yanjun merely grinned at him, happily pressing the play button. Zhangjing went through the moves, but he couldn't quite manage to control his expressions, not with the way Yanjun was watching him, clapping his hands and cheering like a child in front of their favourite candy shop.

 

("The lighting in your practice room is really nice," Yanjun had replied nonchalantly when Zhangjing caught him taking a selfie while Zhangjing continued practicing.

 

The selfie that Yanjun posts on Weibo the next day is expected. The accompanying photo of what is unmistakably Zhangjing's silhouette in the practice room mirror is not: 'look forward to it!' is all the caption says.

 

The Internet blows up and 'Zhangjun' becomes the most searched topic on Weibo. 'Lin Yanjun and You Zhangjing: 2018's Hottest new bromance' becomes the title of many tabloid articles, and Lin Chaoze is ready to cut the landline because the phone won't stop ringing with calls from trashy tabloids and rabid fans alike, demanding a comment on the situation.)

 

* * *

 

The beach really was beautiful, Zhangjing thought to himself as he took photos of the clear waters and the white sands. Silently, he thanked Zhang Yixing for deciding to include a school trip scene in 'Oh My!' - when was the last he had been able to visit a beach like this? Zhangjing really couldn't remember.

 

He had just taken a selfie of himself when he heard Lin Yanjun calling over the noise of the filming crew: "Taking selfies without me?"

 

"What, do all my selfies need to have your face in them?" Zhangjing scoffed, taking another selfie, pointedly not looking over at Yanjun to tease him.

 

"I mean, preferably, yeah," Zhangjing's confused expression was reflected back at him on his phone screen, because what was that supposed to mean? But then Yanjun continued: "Because why wouldn't you want this handsome face gracing your photos?"

 

Zhangjing rolled his eyes, lowering his phone because of course, Lin Yanjun was just like that, what else had he been expecting him to say, really? He should have known better than to suspect if there was any hidden meaning behind Yanjun's words. He opened his mouth, about to make a snide remark about Yanjun's narcissism and how it would be his undoing - but one look at Yanjun, and his words died on his tongue before he could even say them.

 

Because Lin Yanjun was shirtless. Bare-chested. And those abs were definitely not airbrushed on.

 

Jesus take the wheel, Zhangjing thought absently. Lin Yanjun always did look better in real life compared to on a laminated poster - speaking of posters, Zhangjing was never going to be able to look at that poster anymore without being slightly disappointed because he was definitely going to be comparing it to this moment right now.

 

"Like what you see?" Yanjun joked, lips pulling into an infuriating smirk. And just like that, the Gay Moment was over - cameras couldn't capture the full beauty of Lin Yanjun or how annoyingly narcissistic he was - annoying because he somehow still managed to charm the pants off of everyone even when he was being an ass. Zhangjing briefly entertained the thought of kissing those perfect lips - maybe then Yanjun would be the one gaping like a fish instead, the little shit. But no, that would be a very bad idea. At least, not in public, in front of all of these cameras, a small traitorous voice at the back of his mind whispered.

 

So Zhangjing closed his mouth and swallowed his saliva, raising his phone again. "You're going to kill all of your fans," Zhangjing said, not so discreetly snapping a quick photo of Yanjun in all of his shirtless glory. Yanjun even posed for him.

 

"It's only for one scene, don't worry," Yanjun replied. As though one scene wasn't more than enough, Zhangjing thought, but he bit back his retort, not wanting to further fuel Yanjun's ego.

 

"Well, get over here then, Mr 'Needs to be in every single selfie of mine' - or have you changed your mind already?" Zhangjing called. Yanjun laughed, jogging over.

 

* * *

 

The sun had long disappeared from its spot in the sky by the time filming for the day had finished and Zhangjing was finally able to go back to his hotel room. After taking a long-needed bath, Zhangjing collapsed onto the bed with a sigh, closing his eyes and enjoying the feeling of the luxurious hotel bedsheets underneath him.

 

Just as he considered getting up and order room service, his phone rang, Lin Yanjun's name flashing across the screen. "Lin Yanjun? Why are you calling me?" Zhangjing asked.

 

"Can't I just call you because I want to?" Yanjun retorted.

 

"Isn't your room opposite mine? You could have just knocked on my door if you needed anything," Zhangjing said, leaning back into the mound of soft pillows on the bed.

 

"Well," Zhangjing could hear the sound of shuffling feet in the background as Yanjun continued: "I needed to make sure you were still awake."

 

Awake for what, Zhangjing wanted to ask - then he heard a knock on his door. "You Zhangjing!" the voice may be muffled through the thick wooden door, but Zhangjing would recognise that voice anywhere. "Open the door, please?"

 

"And if I say no?" Zhangjing called back.

 

"Are you really going to just leave me standing out here in this lonely hotel hallway, cold and hungry?" Yanjun replied. "Also, I have snacks."

 

"You should have just said that first," Zhangjing chuckled, opening the door to Lin Yanjun's dimpled smile. "What snacks do you have?" He asked, glancing at the bag in Yanjun's hand.

 

"I went back to Taiwan over the weekend so I thought I'd get some of the snacks that I haven't eaten in a while," Yanjun replied, opening the bag and showing Zhangjing its contents. "I also got those biscuits that you said you liked."

 

"Oh my god, I haven't eaten this in years," Zhangjing exclaimed, happily accepting the packet of biscuits from him.

 

"So," Yanjun grunted, collapsing down onto Zhangjing's bed. "Any plans for the night?"

 

"Get some overpriced hotel food, maybe watch a couple of movies," Zhangjing shrugged, sitting down on the bed next to him. "Interested in joining me?"

 

"Sure. Can we watch Harry Potter?"

 

"...I've never watched Harry Potter before."

 

"Then we are definitely watching Harry Potter."

 

Four and a half hours later, the ending credits of the second Harry Potter movie were playing on the television screen, but Zhangjing wasn't aware of that, already snoring lightly on the bed. If he had been awake however, he might have seen Yanjun quietly clearing away the empty dishes before carefully pulling the blanket over Zhangjing's sleeping form, or the soft smile on Yanjun's face as he took a picture of Zhangjing's sleeping face.

 

But he snored away, and when he woke up, the dishes were neatly stacked on the table, the television was switched off, Lin Yanjun was gone, back in his own hotel room - and try as he might, You Zhangjing couldn't ignore the feeling of disappointment in his chest.

 

* * *

 

Lu Dinghao's return to China was accompanied with screaming fans and blindingly bright camera flashes as everyone fought to catch a glimpse at the model upon his arrival at the airport. It might have been a long night flight, but with the way Dinghao coolly made his way through the screaming crowd with his suitcases, as though this was just yet another runway for him to catwalk down, no one would have suspected that he had just spent close to twelve hours in the air. Zhangjing had seen the photos.

 

The man who had showed up at his apartment not fifteen minutes ago, dressed in an oversized pink hoodie and sweatpants that had admittedly seen better days, was a far cry from the trendsetting fashion model in the airport pictures plastered over the internet. "How miserable have your lives been without me around?" Dinghao grinned at Zhangjing when he opened the door.

 

"If there aren't expensive Belgium chocolates in that box, close the door in his face." Chaoze shouted from his seat in the living room.

 

"Is that what my friendship is worth to you, Lin Chaoze?" Dinghao yelled back - he still surrendered the box of chocolates to Zhangjing.

 

Zhangjing tossed the box to Chaoze, heading into the kitchen to get the popcorn. "What took you so long anyway, forgot how to read the time?"

 

"You said that you were starting the marathon at 11 am! I'm ten minutes early!" Dinghao retorted. "Let me use the toilet first."

 

"This fellow..." Chaoze sighed in exasperation, ripping the box of chocolates open. "At least he has good taste in chocolates. Hurry up, Lu Dinghao, I have waited for four weeks and three days for your ass to come back to China, we have four episodes to catch up on before tonight's episode so move it or you're going to miss the start of the episode!" Chaoze screeched from his seat on the sofa. Zhangjing winced at his volume, grateful that at least the walls of his apartment were thick enough so his neighbours wouldn't have to tolerate this sound pollution.

 

"I'm coming, I'm coming, geez, no need to get your panties in a twist" Dinghao rolled his eyes as he sat down on the sofa next to Chaoze, ignoring Chaoze's muttered insults as he passed him another Zhangjing support fan - where Chaoze even got the fans, Zhangjing had no idea - He really should find out, because the fan was quite cute.

 

Dinghao insisted on live posting his comments online whilst they marathoned the episodes, despite Chaoze's threats to throw his phone out of the window if he did not stop typing on his phone and actually pay attention to the drama unfolding onscreen ("I can multitask, okay!" Dinghao had insisted indignantly). Chaoze and Dinghao made all sorts of comments whenever Zhangjing's character showed up on screen, but they both clearly were enjoying the drama, which made Zhangjing feel a bit proud.

 

As expected, Chaoze and Dinghao went nuts over the bouquet scene - Zhangjing was pretty sure that Dinghao had posted no less than three text posts over the quality of the editing of that one scene.

 

When Lin Yanjun in all his shirtless glory showed up on the screen, Lu Dinghao screeched unintelligibly, practically throwing what was left of his bowl of popcorn at the television screen, a reaction which Zhangjing found completely reasonable, given the editing of the slow motion and close up shots of those perfectly sculpted abs.

 

Lin Chaoze, on the other hand, did not: "The television does not deserve this kind of disrespect - You had better lick the floor clean afterwards, you little shit!"

 

But Zhangjing was perfectly happy to tune out Chaoze's screaming at Dinghao to enjoy and admire his perfectly unobstructed view of Lin Yanjun's beautiful abs in 1080p HD perfection. Even if it was only for a brief five minutes, Zhangjing was fairly certain that the comment boards would be filled with invites to fans' funerals. Whoever was on the editing team needed a really good raise.

 

("One more episode left to film, then 'Oh My!' will be over," Zhangjing murmured, resting his head on Chaoze's shoulder. Chaoze patted the top of his hair comfortingly and Zhangjing closed his eyes.

 

"I heard that Lin Yanjun already has the next few months booked for a new project," Dinghao muttered next to him. One more episode, then Zhangjing probably wouldn't be able to see Yanjun for months.

 

"One last episode," Zhangjing muttered, watching as the ending credits came to an end on the screen.)

 

* * *

 

Lin Yanjun really was too perfect, Zhangjing thought as he looked through the window. Yanjun and Fu Jing were seated together at the piano, and Zhangjing allowed himself to admire the way Yanjun's long fingers glided across the black and white keys of the old piano - he knew the song that was being played, it reminded him of being a secondary school student again, sitting in his piano teacher's house and repeating the same chords again and again on a well-used keyboard.

 

Yanjun had asked him for help in learning the song before filming, and Zhangjing still remembers the headache he had trying to teach Yanjun how to play the proper notes and chords at the same time, on the correct beats - but looking at Lin Yanjun now, fingers languidly moving across the keys, a relaxed expression on his face - Zhangjing would never have guessed that he had never formally learned how to play the piano. He looked so at ease, so engrossed in the music, and with the setting sun shining in through the window behind him -

 

For a moment, Zhangjing forgot exactly who his character's love interest was supposed to be.

 

He always did have a weakness for beautiful people who could look good while playing the piano.

 

But then Lin Yanjun looked up from the piano keys to glance at Fu Jing. And just like that, Zhangjing found that he couldn't not notice her presence there anymore. There she was, sitting there next to Yanjun, but that wasn't what bothered Zhangjing about this picture: it was the fact that Zhangjing couldn't deny that they looked good together. They suited each other, both were good-looking, both were extremely talented -

 

And the look that Yanjun was giving Fu Jing felt just a little too real for Zhangjing to not feel a little something like his heart breaking.

 

The distance between them was decreasing, bit by bit, and Zhangjing barely even processed the director's signal for him to move in. He knocked on the doors, shoving them open with maybe just a tad more strength than actually necessary. They broke apart immediately, both of them turning to look at him. Zhangjing looked down at the ground, away from Yanjun's almost piercing gaze.

 

"You're going to be late," Zhangjing muttered. "Hurry up."

 

(Zhang Yixing praised Zhangjing for that bit, calling it one of the best pieces of acting that he had had the pleasure of seeing for a while: "I could actually feel the emotion in your acting," he said, giving an encouraging pat on Zhangjing's shoulder.

 

Zhangjing nodded, thanking Yixing politely while he was screaming on the inside because boy, did he wish that that had just been an act.)

 

(It's a pity that Zhangjing had not paid a bit more attention to his surroundings, or he might have noticed Lin Yanjun staring after his back as he left, an unreadable expression on his face - a further pity that Lin Yanjun couldn't reach out his hand and call out to Zhangjing at that moment then, the final words of Zhangjing's script still echoing in his mind.)

 

* * *

 

When Yanjun had called, offering to treat him to hotpot, Zhangjing's first thought had been that meeting up and spending time with the person he was trying to get over with was probably counter-productive.

 

What he actually said to Yanjun was: "I swear, Lin Yanjun, you keep inviting me out to break my diet, I'm starting to think you're just trying to fatten me up."

 

Yanjun laughed. "You've got me, that's my master plan: to fatten you up so I can eat you later," he joked. "So what do you say, are you interested?"

 

Zhangjing, the weak person that he was, went ahead and said yes.

 

And that was how they were here now, stomachs full of hotpot, sitting on the swings of an empty playground. They were probably going to wake up with mosquito bites everywhere the next day, but neither could find it in themselves to properly care about such mundane things like that, not when there was something bigger on the forefront of their minds.

 

"So," Yanjun said, finally breaking the silence. "Filming will be ending soon."

 

"Yeah," Zhangjing swallowed. "I heard that you already have another project lined up after 'Oh My'?"

 

"Yeah, I'll be going back - to Taiwan for awhile." Yanjun replied, looking down at the grass. "And you'll be busy with your album, right?"

 

Zhangjing nodded silently.

 

For about two minutes, the only sound that was heard was the sound of the cool night breeze rustling the leaves of nearby trees, and the quiet creaking of the old swings as they swayed back and forth. It wasn't like neither of them had thought about this, they had known from the start that this drama was just another project that would inevitably come to an end, and they would have to move on to other jobs after that inevitable end, because they were adults living in a capitalist society who needed to earn all the money that they could get while they were in their prime.

 

If it had been any other person, any other actor; if Zhangjing had never met Yanjun before this, Zhangjing wondered if he might even be in this situation: where he wished that 'Oh My!' would never end, if only so that he could continue spending time with the other like this.

 

But then he remembered the way that Yanjun had looked at Fu Jing.

 

("He's an actor, his character is supposed to be in love with hers, of course he's supposed to look at her like that." Chaoze said in exasperation. And yes, Zhangjing did know that, but was it really just good acting skills? Yanjun had never really shown any signs that he might be anything other than straight before.

 

"You Zhangjing, you unobservant fool. You wouldn't know if someone was interested in you unless they went ahead and screamed it in your face," Chaoze sighed, shaking his head. "Just talk to him.")

 

Easier said than done, Zhangjing thought, glancing at the man next to him. Yanjun appeared to be deep in thought himself, almost glaring at the grass underneath his feet. The four years of no communication, thinking that Yanjun had forgotten about the rest of them already - Zhangjing had thought that he had forgotten about his own feelings for the boy who had managed to steal his heart in that practice room.

 

Yet here they were now.

 

Maybe it was selfish of him, to want this to continue. But so be it. They had just managed to find each other again, what if Chaoze was wrong and he decided that he wanted to have nothing to do with them afterwards?

 

"Hey," Yanjun called softly, snapping Zhangjing back to reality. Yanjun was looking at him now. "Even if we don't see each other as often, we can still call and text each other."

 

Zhangjing let out a breath he didn't realise he had been holding. "Yeah," he said. "You'd better not lose your phone and just disappear on us again, Lin Yanjun."

 

Yanjun smiled, showing off his dimple. "I would never."

 

(Zhangjing is a weak person, and honestly, Lin Yanjun could tell him the sun shone out of his ass and Zhangjing probably wouldn't question it.

 

"You already look at him that way anyway." Dinghao snickered, ducking out of the way of the cushion launched at his face.)

 

* * *

 

"...and, CUT! That's a wrap!" Zhang Yixing shouted. Everyone on set clapped and cheered, especially when Yixing announced that to celebrate the completion of filming, he would treat them all to dinner.

 

The dinner was great, the food was delicious and he did remember having fun. It would have been even greater if Zhangjing could actually remember most of what actually happened last night, because he would really like to have an explanation for what the hell Lin Yanjun was doing in the same bed as him.

 

Zhangjing recognised the room as his own and they were still completely dressed, thank god. But how did they end up like this? And what had his drunk ass done before passing out last night? The millions of possible scenarios played out in his head and he was absolutely considering possibly jumping out of the window because there was no way he was going to be able to look Yanjun in the face because drunk Zhangjing was capable of a lot of things and he frankly did not want to even think of what was the worst that could have happened.

 

As though sensing Zhangjing's impending heart attack, Lin Yanjun chose that moment to wake up. "Good morning," Yanjun murmured, smiling sleepily at Zhangjing - Zhangjing wanted to scream because who allowed you to be this cute even when you just woke up?!

 

"What," Zhangjing cleared his throat, cheeks burning at the way his voice had cracked. Yanjun even had the nerve to chuckle at him. "What are you doing here?" Zhangjing asked.

 

"Oh, you don't remember," Yanjun muttered, sounding almost disappointed. "I brought you back here after the party last night. You were pretty drunk. How are you feeling, by the way?"

 

"A bit hungry, and still confused," Zhangjing replied. "Why are you - "

 

"Oh. You asked me not to leave and you wouldn't let go of my hand," Yanjun yawned. "I guess I fell asleep."

 

Zhangjing was pretty sure his face was the shade of a ripe tomato right now and the thought of escaping through the window was really sounding super tempting right now. "Did I... do anything else?" Zhangjing asked hesitantly, dreading the answer.

 

Yanjun was quiet for a moment, brow furrowed as he thought. "No, nothing else happened," he said finally. Zhangjing let out a sigh of relief, sinking back into the pillows, sending a quick prayer of thanks to whatever higher power was out there.

 

"Anyway, you said that you were hungry?"

 

(Yanjun watched as Zhangjing ate the ice cream from the tub, his features illuminated by the television screen, and tried not to think about drunken confessions that he wasn't supposed to hear.

 

Not now, Yanjun thought, forcing himself to turn his attention back to the movie playing on the television screen. He was not ready yet.)

 

* * *

 

In an unfortunate (or fortunate, depending on whose perspective you were looking at) turn of events, both Lin Chaoze and Lu Dinghao were busy on the day of the release of 'Oh My's finale.

 

"Cheer up, you'll have Lin Yanjun to keep you company!" Dinghao said. "Just enjoy it and don't think so much about it." Dinghao ended the call before Zhangjing could rant at him about how awkward it was going to be to have to watch the hugely edited and long awaited final kiss between Wen Junhui and Zhou Jieqiong together with Lin Yanjun.

 

He just hoped he wouldn't cry.

 

Zhangjing had finally remembered to ask Chaoze where he had gotten the fans, and Yanjun had burst out laughing when Zhangjing had produced a fan with one of the most popular memes of Yanjun's face printed on its glossy surface. "I love it, I'm definitely bringing it out in public next time." Yanjun grinned, admiring the fan.

 

And so, equipped with a fan of his own, Zhangjing sat back to watch the final episode.

 

There was a sense of sadness as he watched, knowing that this was the end of the drama, but also a sense of satisfaction as he watched the characters achieve their own respective 'happy endings'.

 

Then there was the dreaded kiss scene. The acting was perfect, the editing was on point, and Zhangjing really felt like insisting on a raise for whoever decided on the song choice for that scene. It was a perfect scene - if only Zhangjing could stop wishing that it had been him that Yanjun had chosen instead of Fu Jing.

 

"Wow, Lin Yanjun," Zhangjing remarked, trying to sound light. "That confession almost felt real - you even had me fooled for a second there."

 

When Yanjun didn't answer, Zhangjing looked over at him to find he was preoccupied with picking at a loose thread on the cushion in his hands. "To tell the truth," Yanjun said slowly. "It was one of the most awkward scenes I've ever had to film - since I was kissing her when I was thinking of kissing someone else."

 

"Who?" the question left his lips before he could stop himself. Who else could he have been thinking of, if not Fu Jing? He didn't even want to know, really, because what was he going to do if Yanjun said someone else's name?

 

But before he could take it back, tell Yanjun that he didn't need to tell him, that he didn't want to know, Yanjun looked up at him, meeting his eyes, and Zhangjing's breath caught in his throat. Because Yanjun was looking at him, and Zhangjing was really seeing him for the first time because had Yanjun always looked at him like that?

 

Yanjun moved closer, closer, until their foreheads were almost touching - and Zhangjing wondered if he had gotten drunk again, if this was some fever-induced hallucination, because there was no way that this could be happening, right? Zhangjing stared up at Yanjun's face, trying to decipher the swirl of emotions in Yanjun's eyes, the flickers of desire and uncertainty -

 

"May I?" Yanjun asked.

 

Zhangjing leaned forward, closing the space in between them to press their lips together. Yanjun's lips are soft and the kiss feels every bit as right as he had always hoped it would be.

 

"I've wanted to do that for years," Yanjun admitted.

 

"We really are a right pair of idiots, aren't we," Zhangjing laughed.

 

* * *

 

(The frustrated scream that Dinghao released when Zhangjing told him what happened is only matched by Chaoze's triumphant screech - Dinghao swears and curses the stars for not allowing him to have been present when it happened, while Chaoze is just overjoyed that the two of them finally got over themselves and got together.

 

"And Lu Dinghao! You owe me fifty dollars!" )

**Author's Note:**

> come scream at me on twt: https://twitter.com/zhangjunftw


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